Progress halted: Aaron Woods of the Tigers is stopped in his tracks by the Dragons' defence. Photo: Getty Images

What are the key indicators that tell you a club or team needs a change of head coach?

Who makes these decisions and what qualifies them to determine whether or not the coach is doing his job? What is it you think you are going to get from a new head coach that you can’t get from the man currently in charge?

Once you accept a job as a head coach in any sport you understand that intense scrutiny comes with the territory. You accept that you will be judged by fans, media, club management and ultimately the club’s board of directors.

It seems though, that in the modern era, head coaches are also judged by their own staff and players. The saying "he has lost the dressing room" has become almost cliché. What does that mean?

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How many in the dressing room actually voted as to whether or not the coach has lost their confidence? How many votes does it take to convince management or the board of directors that a new coach needs to be found? Who conducts this poll on whether or not the coach should continue? Where and when is this poll conducted?

If, in fact, players and staff are unhappy with certain aspects of the head coach’s work, then surely the first way to address this is face-to-face with the head coach himself. If the players and/or staff are going directly to the board members or club management outside of the proper forums, then surely this is a break in the chain of command that needs to be addressed.

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If management and/or the Board members act on such complaints without first digging down deep to investigate the validity of the issues, or without some attempt to at least resolve the issues, then who is actually running the club?

If assistant coaches are working against the head coach, are they doing so in the best interests of the team or the club? Or are they protecting their own jobs or trying to advance their own cause within the organisation? It is the head coach with his name in the program? He is the one who wears the responsibility for all decisions relating to recruitment, retention, selections, playing styles and tactics.

The head coach needs to have confidence and trust in those around him. If not, he should be able to remove them.

This season is only eighteen matches old. It has been described by all and sundry as the closest competition race of all time.

Yet already this season we’ve seen two coaches sacked. We have another being told he has no job as from the end of the season. We had one caretaker coach quit his club due to lack of player support. We have another leaving his club to take on a role at his former club. If media reports are to be believed, we have another two coaches under pressure with their respective club’s conducting reviews into the team’s performances. And now we have Mick Potter and the Wests Tigers. For the life of me I can’t see what these coaches were doing so wrong that warranted sackings or the pressure of a public review.

If a club is experiencing difficulties behind the scenes or the coach is not applying himself to the job in the proper manner, then it will surely manifest itself in the performances of the team.

To be honest, I see no such indicators with any of the 16 NRL clubs this season. Which brings me back to Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter.

Mick woke up on Sunday morning to find that everyone else in the world, except himself, was aware he was facing the sack. Club agitation had again found its way into the media.

The Tigers are having a better-than-expected season. One of the early favourites for the wooden spoon position, the Tigers still find themselves in with a chance to make the top eight, with only six rounds remaining. The team has performed creditably all season, despite the fact they have had a huge injury toll on key players and Origin football deprived them of star players at crucial times. I’ve seen them play some brilliant football. A month ago they produced one of the most courageous wins of the season against the Raiders despite suffering several major injuries during the match. Potter has nurtured and developed some of the game’s most exciting young talent. He is well mannered, well presented and quietly spoken. Potter has coached for 14 years without once losing his job for so-called non-performance.

Yet here he finds himself in an untenable position, with individuals inside his organisation, agitating for his removal. I dare say none of those pushing for his removal have ever been a head coach themselves.

I watch the Wests Tigers play every week. Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I think I have a fair idea on what a well coached or poorly coached team looks like. I don’t see ANY poorly coached teams in this competition. No team is losing because of poor coaching.

I see champion players making a huge difference at crucial times. But there are only so many of these blokes to go around. I see just as many lazy players influencing results as well. Will they sack themselves? I bet plenty of assistant coaches have made mistakes as well. Have they put their hands up to accept responsibility? I feel sorry for Potter. I feel sorry for all head coaches these days. It’s a tough gig.